Sleep
by AdmHawthorne
Summary: Jane sleeps better with Maura around


**One shot. Everyone was writing about Jane sleeping better with Maura around, and I'd hate to miss that bandwagon. ^_-**

**Characters aren't mine.  
**

* * *

"Just let me stay the night. Please, Jane? You haven't slept well in weeks, and I want to help. Let me see what's happening with your sleep cycle. Maybe, if I can check that, I can help you sleep better?" Maura Isles sat in Jane's living room pleading with the detective. "Please let me help you. You can't continue on like this. Your sleep deprivation is beginning to affect your work."

"Yeah, I know." Jane paced around the room, eyes blood shot, body tense. "I'll fix it. It'll be fine."

"Drinking yourself into a stupor _will not_ allow you to rest, Jane." The annoyance in the doctor's voice was clouded with concern and sympathy. She had a hypothesis of why the detective wasn't sleeping well. She was hesitant, however, the say it aloud.

The detective, for her part, didn't want her best friend to see her crying like a babe as she woke from one hellish nightmare after another. The dreams with Hoyt were getting worse, and she was starting to dread the time when she would be alone. When she was with people, her mind was strong. When she was alone, it wandered back to that night. She couldn't stop it. It haunted her. It filled her dreams. She wasn't sleeping well because, when she was alone, he was there in her mind to do horrible things to her that he hadn't been able to do. "I'll take a sleeping pill or something. Go home, Maura. I got this."

"No, I don't think so," Maura stood, walking in front of Jane to keep her from moving. "You don't 'have this'. If you did, you'd be sleeping right now. The lieutenant gave you the rest of the week off because of your," she searched for the least hurtful word, "missteps on Monday and Tuesday. It's Wednesday evening, and you _clearly_ haven't slept. Let me help you."

"I don't want it," Jane spat back, stepping back, away from the blonde. "Go home, Maura. I don't want you here." She turned away, facing the window. "You know the way out."

"Jane…"

"Go. Away." The detective wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes. She tried to will the other woman away.

Maura was resistant. This time, she would not allow her friend to push her away. "I'm staying. You're going to go to sleep." She stepped up behind the brunette, placing a hand on her shoulder to turn her. "Now, go get ready for bed."

"Maura," Jane's eyes were piercing, her anger apparent in every angular line of her face, her voice full of threat and malice.

"What, exactly, do you plan to do to me if I don't go? Answer me that. Are you going to throw me out? Call the police? Have me escorted out? Call your mother? What? Hmmm?" Maura met Jane's anger and threat with some of her own, her eyes daring the taller woman to do her worst.

"Fine." Jane stepped away.

After both women were ready for bed, Maura went through the apartment making certain everything was locked down and turned off. As she entered the bedroom, she pulled the do to, locking the knob.

"Why'd you lock it?" Jane helped Joe onto the bed.

"Illusion of safety," Maura responded as she climbed into bed. "Now, lay down."

With a sigh, Jane complied. She wiggled around until she was somewhat comfortable and closed her eyes. She could hear the light click off and feel Maura settle down beside her. It didn't take long for Jane to drift off. It took a far shorter amount of time for her to have her first nightmare. She woke screaming and crying. She blindly thrashed about, reaching for something to anchor her.

"Jane," Maura soothed, wrapping her arms around the brunette. "Jane, it's okay. Shh… it's okay. You're safe. It's going to be fine. Everything's fine." The doctor held tight, refusing to let go of her friend.

"Maura?" Jane sobbed, clinging to the other woman. "He's not here is he?"

"No," Maura whispered into Jane's rumpled hair. "He's not. But, I'm here."

"Why won't he leave me alone?" The sobs were slowing, but Jane still clung to Maura like the lifeline she was quickly becoming. "I wish you could make him go away."

"So do I."

They remained that way, with Maura's arms wrapped around Jane, for a long moment before the brunette finally pulled away. Wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands and sniffling, she frowned deeply. "I don't like you seeing me like this, Maura."

"I won't judge you, Jane. You know that I would never." She held her hand out, silently asking for Jane to give her a hand in return. Jane did so, and Maura looked down at the still shaking hand. "Everyone has their scars. Mine aren't so visible, but you help me deal with them, and you don't judge me for them. Because of that, I trust you." She ran a thumb across the back of Jane's hand. "Perhaps more than anyone else in my life, I trust you. You should know you that you can do the same with me. I'm here for you, Jane."

The detective nodded. "Thank you." The response was barely a whisper.

"None needed. Want to try again?" Maura waited, held tilted in consideration.

"Again," Jane agreed, slowly lying back down. "Maura, will you… never mind." She shifted to lie on side, facing away from the doctor.

Not bothering to ask Jane to complete her request, Maura lay down behind the brunette, running her left arm under the detective's head and placing her right across Jane's waist. When no protests were made, Maura settled completely.

Both women were asleep again a few moments later.

BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

It was midday before either woman awoke. Maura's phone buzzed on the nightstand by her. She found she couldn't move her left arm in order to roll to reach the phone. As her mind cleared from sleep, she realized that she was still holding Jane. "Ah," she whispered to herself in moment of clarity. The phone call would have to wait. If it was important, they would leave a message. She shifted and closed her eyes, sleeping finding her quickly.

Jane's phone rang out with her mother's ringtone. She groaned, reaching for it with as much disdain as she could muster. Going from a deep sleep to irritated in less time that it takes most people to open their eyes in the morning was a skill Jane had thoroughly sharpened after years of dealing with Angela Rizzoli. "Yes, Ma? I was asleep. Yes, you did wake me up. No, I'm at home." She leaned back, realized that someone was behind her and quickly turned to see Maura's sleepy eyes greeting her, a smile on the blonde's face. "What? Alone? No, why?" Jane blinked a few times, trying to piece her night together as her mother talked at her. "Oh… wait, what? Yes, of course it's Maura. Who else… no, Ma. Just no. Where else would she sleep?" Jane rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm aware, thank you." Her voice was flat, eyes starting to narrow as her anger grew. "I don't really care. Why should you? That's just talk. Come on, you _know_ her. It's not like, wait, what am I saying? Look, I'm trying to get some rest. Cavanaugh sent me home for the rest of the week because I've been so sleep deprived. So, I'm going to get off the phone and try to sleep some more, okay? Yeah, I love you, too." Jane tossed the phone onto the night stand.

"Maura, how long have we been asleep?"

"By my estimates, about 12 hours. Though, I did wake up a couple of hours ago when my phone went off." Mentioning it made her check the call history. "Oh, it was Steve."

"Who's Steve?" The question came out quicker than Jane would have liked.

"An associate, that's all." Maura gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you hungry, or would you like to try to sleep some more?"

"Still sleepy." Jane gave a few smacks of her lips. "Hey, why aren't you at work?"

"I took a few days off. I thought, perhaps, you'd want the company."

"Oh," Jane lay down again. "Thank you." This time the thanks was stronger.

"Again, none needed," Maura scooted down until she was comfortably on her back. She placed her arm across the pillows, an unspoken invitation that Jane took.

The brunette snuggled against the doctor, wrapping around her. She fell into sleep gently and remained there for several hours. Maura took the chance to catch up on her reading. She kept a few books in the nightstand at Jane's, and she read them as the brunette slumbered. Eventually, Jane's even breathing lulled Maura's mind, and she, too, fell asleep, the book dropping quietly to the covers.

BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

"I knew it! Why couldn't you just _tell_ me that you two were dating?" Angela's voice startled both women, pulling them from sleep. The book that had been resting in Maura's limp hand flew across the room landing with a thud somewhere against a far wall.

"Ma!" Jane quickly sat up. "How did you get in here?"

"I have a key!" Angela held it up. "It fits all the locks in the house." She shrugged.

"Mrs. Rizzoli." Maura gave a small greeting.

"Hello, Maura." Angela was beaming. "So, come on, why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"Because there's _nothing_ to tell. Maura came over to help me get some sleep. That's all, Ma. There's nothing going on."

"Yes, that's true. Jane and I are not currently engaged in any type of romantic relationship."

"Currently?" Jane looked over at the blonde, giving her a questioning look.

"I never discount a possibility, no matter how remote the odds." Maura gave a shrug.

"Well, if you're not dating, you could have fooled me. You two looked so _peaceful_ together."

"Yeah, I bet. Sleeping tends to make a person look peaceful. God, Ma, why did you wake me up?" Jane leaned back against the headboard, not realizing she was pinning Maura's arm behind her until she felt Maura's fingers curve around her side. Despite how it looked to her mother, she didn't move. Instead, she crossed her arms defiantly and waited for an explanation.

"I'm sorry, Janie. I couldn't help myself. I mean, if you two are finally together…"

"We're _not_ together, Ma." Jane sighed. Maura smirked.

"Well, then, why is she here?" Angela pointed to the still smirking doctor.

"Because," Jane growled. "Because, I sleep better when she's here, okay?"

"But, you're not seeing each other?" The skepticism in Angela's voice was exceptionally thick.

"No, we're not." Jane's anger and irritation were equally thick.

"Right, if you say so, sweetie." Angela shifted her gaze to the other woman. "Maura, are you coming to gnocchi night tomorrow?"

"Of course, what can I bring?" She gave the elder Rizzoli a bright smile.

"That wine from last time was nice."

"Ma!"

"What?"

"Maura's a guest. I can't believe you'd ask her to bring something to dinner."

"It's okay, Jane. I don't mind." Maura gave Jane's side a reassuring squeeze.

"Jane, sweetie, Maura is not a guest. She's _family_." Angela winked at the doctor. "I'm just going to leave you two alone to get some more sleep. Good night, Janie. We'll see you tomorrow, Maura. I'll just let myself out."

"Mrs. Rizzoli," Maura called out, stopping the older woman from leaving the room. "Would you mind watching Joe for a little while? Maybe for the next couple of days?" She nodded to the little dog curled at the foot of the bed.

"No, I don't mind." Angela walked over and picked Joe up. "Well, see you two girls tomorrow. Come on, Joe. Your grandma's got some nice chew toys at the house for you. G'night, girls." With that, Jane's mother left the room.

"Man, what _is_ it with everyone?" Jane huffed. "Whatever, I'm going to go take a shower. I'm starving. You hungry, Maur?"

"Yes, I could eat. Why don't I make us a little something while you shower? We can eat and then try for more sleep. Sound good?"

"Yeah, I like that plan." Jane hopped out of bed. "Hey, Maura," she turned to face the still reclining woman, "Thanks again. You know, I really do sleep better when you're around."

"None needed, and I know. Now, go take a shower. I'll see you in a few minutes, Jane."

Reluctantly, Jane headed for the shower.


End file.
